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Talking self-care with members of our IC community

Posted by President Shirley M. Collado on Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Earlier this semester, I was thrilled to be invited to
participate in an effort coordinated by Ithaca College’s BOLD
Scholars to encourage and model the importance of self-care for
people of color. I joined other Ithaca College students, staff, and
faculty to add my contribution to the Instagram campaign
#EMPOCSELFCARE, which is one part of the work that this BOLD cohort
is doing through their Engaging Mental Health in People of Color
(EMPOC) community project.

Honestly and effectively identifying our mental health needs and
finding ways to take good care of ourselves is critical for
everyone on our campus, no matter your position or shift, or your
work, learning, and living environment.

And for students, the need is especially high. National data
from higher ed that looks at student wellbeing identifies
increasing rates of anxiety and depression—a trajectory that
Ithaca College is also experiencing. At IC, we’ve been
focusing intently on our student wellness services, including our
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) programs, which serve
around 15 percent of our student population, and programs like
THRIVE@IC, which focuses on building resiliency and wellness.

This month, I wanted to open a conversation with three members
of our campus community—one faculty member, one
administrator, and one student—to dive deeper into this topic
and talk about the ways they take care of themselves, what some of
their received wisdom is around wellness, and how their commitment
to self-care intersects with their identities.

President Shirley M. Collado: Self-care is
absolutely critical to our wellbeing, and I know a lot of us have
different priorities when we think about ways—and
reasons—to keep ourselves healthy. I’m wondering why
you think self-care is important?

Hannah Cayem ’20, BOLD Scholar and Music Education
and Vocal Performance major: From taking over 18 credits,
to holding an on-campus job, to being a BOLD Scholar and everything
in between, I would not be able to follow through with these
commitments without investing time in myself.

Brad Hougham, associate professor, performance
studies: The struggles we face in our minds are reflected
in our bodies and vice-versa. If we don't take care of ourselves,
we can't offer our full gifts to our communities. As teachers and
mentors, it is critical to model self-care for our students, who
often haven't yet developed strategies of self-care or
self-compassion.

Susan Bassett, Associate Vice President of Student
Affairs, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational
Sports: I know myself well enough to know that to do my
best professionally, I need to feel my best physically. Being
physically fit, well rested, prepared, relaxed and energetic help
me to be my most effective professional self. It takes time and
includes eating well and sleeping well.

SMC: What are some of your
practices?

BH: My own self-care practices include a
regular physical workout routine, enough time to practice my
singing each week (if not every day), some slow time each morning
with coffee, and plenty of alone time. If I'm careful with my time
management, I can have everything I need for caring for myself.

I also recently got a puppy, and having him as a source of joy,
activity, and structure is also really helpful.

HC: My self-care practices include meditating,
journaling, seeing a therapist and spending time with loved
ones.

SB: I like to get up early, at 5:15 a.m. and
enjoy quiet time reading. By 6:00 or 6:30, I am doing some kind of
exercise for 30-60 minutes. I exercise every day; it helps me to
feel alert, engaged and prepared. After work, I enjoy preparing
dinner then I relax usually at home watching the news, sports, or a
movie on TV. I try to go to sleep by 10:30 p.m.

SMC: We all lead such busy lives! I also enjoy time
spent being physically active, as well as recharging in the
presence of loved ones. Reading, too, is critical to my ability to
not only enjoy some quiet time, but to grow and learn as a person
by embracing the experiences of other people and really
understanding someone else’s life. I’m wondering how
each of you sees your commitment to self-care in the context of
your personal and professional identities?

HC: For me, self-care specifically intersects
with my identity as a woman. In our society, women are taught to
spend their energy nurturing and caring for those around them,
oftentimes leaving us feeling drained. Because of this expectation,
women often feel selfish for taking time to replenish themselves.
We are also conditioned to fear asking for a break because, if we
do, we are perceived as “weak”— this leads to
women being fearful of giving ourselves the care we need.

BH: It is when I am engaged in my self-care
routines that I have the opportunity to reflect most deeply on
various theaters of my life. Through these times of reflection, I
know myself more fully and my own identity is amplified.

SB: I view myself as an athlete and coach.
Therefore, it is important to me to maintain physical fitness. For
me self-care is about preparation and being at your best. It is
part of being professional.

Specifically, in my role here at IC, teaching self-care to our
student-athletes is as important as anything else we teach. Our
approach stresses diet and exercise, sleep, rest and recovery. All
of this takes planning and discipline. We teach our
student-athletes that to perform as they wish as elite athletes,
they have to take care of themselves.

SMC: I want to dig deeper into the subtext around
Hannah’s comment about women and self-care. Social
conditioning plays a huge part in our dialogue, as a culture,
around mental health and wellness. Can you talk about some of the
received wisdom you’ve encountered related to self-care? Or
some of the stigmas you’ve encountered related to mental
health?

BH: I learned, growing up, that mental health
struggles were to be kept hidden, never to be discussed. It has
taken a very long time to see the importance of caring for my
well-being, but after seeing the positive results of that work, I'd
rather be able to share my experiences freely, honestly, and
vulnerably with others.

HC: One piece of wisdom regarding self-care
that has been transformative to me was given to me by one of my
professors and mentors, Dr. Laura Amoriello, who is an Assistant
Professor of Piano here at IC. Last spring, she conducted a
self-compassion study for music majors. Through this study, a group
of students participated in different self-compassion activities
and group reflections. One of the major ideas that Dr. Amoriello
imparted during these sessions was: “How would you feel if
you cared for yourself as if you were caring for someone in your
life that you love and care deeply for?” This concept has
significantly shifted how I care for and treat myself, and has
truly encouraged me to be more forgiving and understanding of
myself.

SB: In our culture, hard work, work ethic, and
commitment are highly valued. I value that and learned it from
watching my parents through their working lives. There can be a
stigma to taking time off which is counter-productive. I like to
work hard but I definitely need time to exercise, recreate by
biking, golfing, boating and I enjoy traveling for vacation. Those
times away help me to recharge and come back ready to go. I love
what I do professionally as director of athletics and recreational
sports at IC. There is very little separation of my life in that
role and my personal life. The job is consuming and that is really
the only way to do it well.

SMC: For me, growing up as the daughter and
granddaughter of immigrants, I saw my parents and my grandmother
work incredibly hard to create a life for me and for my brothers. I
learned very early the value of hard work and the importance of a
strong work ethic, and that has stayed with me throughout my career
in higher education and even before that, when I was in my
undergraduate and my graduate programs. I always admired the way
that, in addition to working very hard, my parents and my
grandmother always made time for family. I’m wondering what
role models each of you have when it comes to self-care and
wellness. Are there any people you admire? Any mantras or
significant quotes that guide your approach to
wellness?

HC: My favorite mantra is “Don’t
let perfect be the enemy good,” which is attributed to
Voltaire. By reminding myself of this each day, I can focus on
being proud of my accomplishments, no matter how small they may be.
This allows me to reflect on my successes and to feel a sense of
gratitude every day.

BH: Brenee Brown did a TedTalk on vulnerability
that changed my life. The way she contextualized vulnerability as a
strength allowed me to more directly address my own full
well-being.

SB: I find inspiration in the people I interact
with on a daily basis, and I have many friends and colleagues who
inspire me to try to be my best. Dr. Andy Getzin, our team
physician at Ithaca College is an inspirational friend and
colleague. Dr. Getzin is a highly skilled physician and also an
elite triathlete. One of my classmates at IC, Lisa Boyer ’79,
is coaching Division I women’s basketball at South Carolina
University. They won the DI National Championship two years ago and
Lisa will serve on the 2020 Olympic basketball coaching staff. Lisa
inspires me by her sustained professional success at an elite level
and her commitment to a rigorous fitness routine.